As the Rain Falls

I sit in the back seat of my parents' car, staring restlessly through the window which separates me from the countless drops of water that run down the glass. The dark sky paints the urban area with its characteristic ash grey tint.

- “God, this rain came out of nowhere didn’t it?” my mom mutters tiredly to herself as the rain intensifies even more.

I lay my head back and listen to the now almost constant thuds of rain that clash into the metal ceiling of the car.

I’ve always loved rain. I spent most of my childhood at my grandparents farm and loved to go out playing in the rain with my sister. I always loved to fall asleep listening to the calming sounds that rain emits.

This rain was different though. Maybe it was the fact that it was in the city, but this rain felt pushed and almost violent in a way.

I turn my head towards the window again to watch an old lady desperately trying to make her way towards a nearby bus stop windshield.

My mom lets out an irritated sigh as the traffic closes in and we are forced to a stop.

“This is going to take a while,” I think to myself.

I start to look more closely at the raindrops as they race down the glass. I even start trying to predict which one of the small drops will reach the bottom of the window first.

That was when I noticed something small and black on the window.

Was that there before? It seems almost to be a stain of some sort, but in that case how did I not notice it before?

Another larger black dot hits the window and starts sliding down the glass, leaving an inky black trail after it.

What is this? It seems almost tar-like in texture. ”What the... are you seeing this...?” My mom stutters as a couple more black dots hit the front window of the car. I stare at the window as I slowly nod my head in approval. Several more inky drops start sliding down the glass.

I start to look around the street. The people making their way through the city seem too busy trying to avoid the rain to acknowledge the presence of the black raindrops.

My mom turns on the window wipers in a try to swipe them away, but that only leaves large trails of black smudge.

The people that are taking shelter from the rain are now exchanging confused looks as they notice the heavy lumps of black sludge that splatter the wet asphalt around them.

More and more people are now starting to get out of their cars, looking curiously up towards the now darkening sky. “Hey," my mother speaks to me quietly. “I'm just gonna go outside for a second. You just wait here until I come back, alright?” I nod my head slowly as my mother exits the car, opening her umbrella and disappearing into the forming crowd ahead.

Just when I lose sight of my mother, I start to hear the screams.

It's a loud, soul-rending wail of what sounds like a woman that seems to come from somewhere behind the car. I turn my head to look out of the back window, but a couple of large, inky black lumps of tar have started to claim most of the glass and the rest of the window is a blur due to the accompanying rain, spreading out the black even further.

I look around frantically, trying to look for anyone or anything to give me any idea of what was going on, but the untransparent black rain limited my vision and I could only make out a few startled silhouettes of raincoats scurrying past the car.

The one scream I heard grew into another scream, this time from a male. Little by little, the air was filled with the sound of countless people's agonizing wails.

I shut my eyes tightly and cover my ears with my hands.

The rain just keeps coming, growing more and more intense by the minute. When I believed the rain to finally have reached its climax, it just got a bit more intense and violent. The drumming of the rain hitting the metal ceiling of the car helps shutting out the seemingly never ending screams.

Amidst all the chaos my thoughts start to wander. Why did this happen? What was really happening? Where was my mother? Was she one of the ones who was screaming...?

I clench my palms tighter around my ears.

I just wanted the sounds to stop. In a last act of desperation I fill my lungs to the brink of bursting with air and let out a wail that overvoiced all the others.

That's when I noticed that I was the only one screaming.

Confused, I open my eyes and let my hands fall down.

At this point the windows are completely covered by the tar like substance, leaving the car with no external lighting. The only illumination I had was the faint light coming from the cars control panel. I found it strange that no light at all was protruding from the windows. Was it really that untransparent?

I run my hand over the window. An unnatural sense of cold strikes my palm, making me quickly draw my hand back.

I don't know what to do. Should I open the door? The thought was tempting, but as much as I wanted to unravel what was happening, a strong feeling of fear and dread prevented me from doing so.

I then made a decision. I was going to open the door.

I move my hand slowly towards the handle of the car door, resting my fingers on the cold metal.

I start to count down to myself, preparing to face what was waiting beyond the black facade.

Ten...

Nine...

Eight...

Seven...

I strengthen my grip around the handle.

Six...

Five...

Four...

I clench my teeth together and close my eyes.

Three...

Two...

One...

A violent cracking sound makes me stumble back, loosing my grip around the handle.

There, on the window I can faintly make out a large crack in the glass.

My eyes widen with fear and disbelief.

The crack was quickly spreading throughout the glass.

I dart forward, pressing my hands against the glass tightly in a desperate attempt to prevent the crack from spreading further, but to no avail. The crack kept forming, spiraling a network of tendril-like formations that threaten to collapse at any given second.

That's when the window burst and an endless stream of tar flowed into the car. My skin came in contact with the liquid and my body was filled with the most searing, excruciating pain that I've ever felt. As the tar silences my screams, my vision cuts to black one final time.

I awaken in the safety of my bed, startled and confused. My alarm clock shines a bright red “6:42 AM”.

“Was it all a dream...?” I think to myself.

I rise from my bed and walk up to my bedroom window.

It's raining.

I let out a deep sigh of relief and tilt my head back.

“Thank god that's over.”

I was just about to walk back to my bed and go to sleep again, but that's when I notice something odd.

That's when I notice a small black dot hit the window.